Pat Casey (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Dr. McGowan for his presentation. I wish the advisory body the best of luck. I was not a supporter of the establishment of Irish Water five years ago, but we are where we are. My objection concerned local democracy, not the national issue. The establishment of Irish Water removed from local representatives the power to decide how their county grew. I still hold that point of view.

I wish to raise some very frustrating issues regarding Irish Water. The first concerns the interaction between Irish Water and local authorities in respect of the planning process and how planning permissions are granted. An issue arise regarding whether such permissions are granted with Irish Water having agreed on connections and whether a service is provided. Local authorities are not accepting communications from Irish Water to developers indicating that a development may proceed. Clarity needs to be brought to the entire interaction surrounding the planning process. Once planning permission is granted, it should be possible for work to commence. In many cases, the developer must first enter negotiations with Irish Water on the provision of water and sewerage services or with other utilities on the provision of other services. This is hampering the process. Work needs to be done on streamlining interactions between Irish Water and local authorities in granting planning permission. I could provide examples of cases where this process is not working.

I have had many communications with Irish Water, often very positive. However, one area on which I receive few replies is infrastructure. I have raised this matter a number of times and I will not let it go. Irish Water is doing a good job on critical infrastructure and larger projects but does not look beyond that, unless a wastewater treatment plant causes problems. In rural areas and in towns with fewer than 2,000 inhabitants, Irish Water is not at the races. It does not even consider these places unless they are polluting and causing problems.

We need to address the issue as to whether Irish Water has to set aside a team or a specific budget. These communities cannot be forgotten about but they are. The economic model does not stack up for small villages. The horizon which Irish Water set in its first report required payback within 15 and 20 years. There is no way a small town or a village will have a payback like that. Is there any report from Irish Water stating it will deal with small villages? In County Wicklow, villages such as Donard, Laragh, Glendalough and Avoca have no water infrastructure. As a result, they cannot expand or planning permission cannot be granted for houses. There is nothing coming forward on the infrastructure being upgraded in these areas. Irish Water needs to dedicate a budget or a team to that aspect of rural Ireland.

On the issue of charges, Irish Water has been established for five years but there is still not a national commercial rate charge. There are still 31 different charges across the country. Connection fees, whether to just connect into a sewer or the provision of a sewerage facility, are not done. At this stage, I have lost track of how a developer calculates how much the infrastructure will cost in a project.

Irish Water is working well in certain regards and I will not take away from that. While it is tackling key issues, many others need to be addressed. Elements in Irish Water are adding to the housing crisis because we are not getting clear communications on the granting of planning permissions in respect of who is responsible, who is making a final decision and who has the authority to allow it go ahead

I wish Dr. McGowan the best of luck. I am sure he will be before the committee in the future.